27", 21.5" iMac Owners, test your screen for yellow tint issue here

[tarakul]

27" i5 - the dreaded yellow tint

Hi All

I have been reading this great forum leading up to my purchase of the 27" iMAC i5. Now sadly my first post is about the terrible experience I have had with this yellow tint.

Purchased the first one took it home - and yup yellow tint just as described by many here. Took it back to the store; a guy looked at it didn't seem to think it was an issue but they were very busy so I think he just swapped it out to get me out the store - The first machine was week 46 so I asked the guy for a week 49 - after looking at me blankly and me explaining how the serial number works he went away and got me a week 49.

Took this second week 49 machine home and horror! Same problem, even worse then my first unit. So I called customer services as I did not want to take this monster back, the lady was helpful but ultimately said this was a store issue so she arranged a store manager to call me back.

When they did I explained it all and had to take my second unit back, they tested it out the back and agreed there was a tinting problem and suggested they take the third unit they were going to give me out the box and test it, after 30 mins she came back to inform me that they also noticed the tinting on this machine as well!!

We agreed I'd take my 2nd unit back and they extended my 14 day to 28 days so I can go back in the new year and *hopefully* exchange it for a new batch.

The saddest part is - they did not acknowledge this as a known fault even though I informed them the lady from customer service said apple have acknowledged as a "sporadic" issue. The store also gave me a £30 voucher that i can't use online though, and custome rservices offered me a £54 voucher that I can't use in store lol

Anyway annoyingly I am left with a machine I can't customise because i know I have to return it in Jan.

Only reason I am sticking with this is the machine is beautiful, fast and silent!

 

[knewsom]

They gave you up to 54 GBP worth of merchandise, extended your return period, exchanged the computer once, and offered to do it again once they had one that would meet your expectations?

Those bastards.

 

[duche]

What happens to Apple

Hi to all of you from France !

i bought one IMac 27 core2duo last week and returned it to the reseller.
There was a large dust behind the glass and one dead pixel.
Second one looks good, no dead pixel, no dust but a pretty strong yellow tinge on the screen, not only from top to bottom but also at extreme right and left sides of it.

I phoned to Apple and they told me they did'nt notice anything like that.

I hope it will be possible to exchange it once more, i don't feel like keeping it like that.

Production week : 48

 

[Trek2100]

I'm getting a little paranoid. I've had my 27" since 11/25. Everything is fine; no HD noise, no fan noise, no dead pixels however, there is an ever so slight difference between the bottom and top of the screen when doing the test with the gray bars and the test on imac.squeaked.com. The bottom doesn't look yellow (at least to my eyes and my wife's eyes). There is a slightly warmer look at the bottom, the grays are slightly lighter. When I look at photos in full screen I cannot notice any difference in color when I move the image around. I've tried many photos with different colors and do not see any warmth in the bottom of the screen, none! When I did the pixel test from imac.squeaked.com with the different color screens there was absolutely no change in color anywhere on the screen. Since my iMac is otherwise perfect I don't know if I should do anything about it. Its only slightly noticable with the gray bars at the top and bottom. Could it be from the backlighting along the bottom of the screen and not a real problem with the graphics card?

 

[tarakul]

@ knewsom - I agree on paper it looks like a great offer...

The £54 pound sis off any purchase over £180 from apple online - i have no plans to buy anything else, so in order to take advantage of that "Good Will" I need to spend more money with them! Same for the £30 retail store voucher!!

They agreed to extend my 14 day to 28 days but that leaves me using a machine I can't customise, install with all my apps, photos, movies etc knowing i will have to erase it all come January!

 

[Iwan M]

@ knewsom - I agree on paper it looks like a great offer...

The £54 pound sis off any purchase over £180 from apple online - i have no plans to buy anything else, so in order to take advantage of that "Good Will" I need to spend more money with them! Same for the £30 retail store voucher!!

They agreed to extend my 14 day to 28 days but that leaves me using a machine I can't customise, install with all my apps, photos, movies etc knowing i will have to erase it all come January!

Why, if you use the time machine you can just load it all back, right ?

 

[knewsom]

well... some things won't load properly off time machine, since it'll be a different computer at that point, with a different MAC address, and the receipts won't work with it. SOME things you'll need to reinstall, but most stuff will be a snap to load off Time Machine.

I personally have a computer with the yellow tinge, I've already upgraded my RAM, and will be doing an SSD upgrade too but may wait until I swap it for another one after Apple works out the kinks. If they DONT work out the kinks, I'll just stick with what I got, since it's really a great computer otherwise, and the tint is pretty subtle.

Ask Apple to send you a free remote control, or upgrade your RAM or something instead. You never know. ...and even still, they're doing the best they can to deal with a bad situation, it's not what I'd call a "horrible experience".

 

[SuAlfons]

I'm getting a little paranoid. [..] Since my iMac is otherwise perfect I don't know if I should do anything about it. Its only slightly noticable with the gray bars at the top and bottom. Could it be from the backlighting along the bottom of the screen and not a real problem with the graphics card?

Same here. I came across this thread & problem while searching for the "Screen Noise" thingy.
Did the test - the bars look a little little little bit warmer in the south of the screen. Also, my machine (21.5") is week 46.
But to be honest, if I look at whatever other program/picture/movie/whitescreen, I can say I never had a screen that evenly backlit. Any discolouration seems to be wandering around --> these could just be tyred eyes, man! Go to bed, Alfons!
My screen nowhere looks as tinted as the example pics in the beginning of the thread!

So I state: My machine is a 99.9% OK of the week 46 21.5", Ati-Graphics

It does however suffer from the high pitch screen noise when dimmed. I bought it a at German reseller (like Best Buy in US) and don't want to let them send it for repair (no apple care, think I will change that...). Phoned Apple and they told me to go for a certified workshop at a local dealer. Phoned them up and we agreed on me calling back next year, for there are only 6 working days left and they will possibly not receive any spare parts before xmas and I would be without a computer for a long time.


Regards,
SuAlfons

 

[Trek2100]

Same here. I came across this thread & problem while searching for the "Screen Noise" thingy.
Did the test - the bars look a little little little bit warmer in the south of the screen. Also, my machine (21.5") is week 46.
But to be honest, if I look at whatever other program/picture/movie/whitescreen, I can say I never had a screen that evenly backlit. Any discolouration seems to be wandering around --> these could just be tyred eyes, man! Go to bed, Alfons!

Thanks. I think I'll wait to see if it becomes a "real" problem. After all, I have 3 years

 

[Iwan M]

I personally have a computer with the yellow tinge, I've already upgraded my RAM, and will be doing an SSD upgrade too but may wait until I swap it for another one after Apple works out the kinks. If they DONT work out the kinks, I'll just stick with what I got, since it's really a great computer otherwise, and the tint is pretty subtle.

Ask Apple to send you a free remote control, or upgrade your RAM or something instead. You never know. ...and even still, they're doing the best they can to deal with a bad situation, it's not what I'd call a "horrible experience".

Agree - I am curious ... I really struggled to work out whether or not to return it within 14 days. In my opinion it is an awesome machine. Never noticed an issue until I found this thread and did the "test" ... Pondered on it for a few days but then decided to keep it as mine also only has a real subtle tint, and besides I have not read of anyone getting a perfect one in return. Anyway, you mention that you may swap it in the future ... Did you register the issue with Apple or do you mean return under guarentee/ applecare ?

 

[OasisNYK]

I am going to pick up my i7 from FedEx tomorrow (not home to get it today) and I have been following the yellow tinge problem.

I tested a 27 incher at Best Buy and noticed the slight difference in color between the top and bottom bars - not so much yellow but a lighter gray on the bottom.

I also tested my Dell laptop for work - and low and behold the same issue occurs.

I am wondering if this is more a symptom of the test and will appear on most if not all LCD screens and not an actual defect with the iMac.

 

[tapplox]

I am going to pick up my i7 from FedEx tomorrow (not home to get it today) and I have been following the yellow tinge problem.

I tested a 27 incher at Best Buy and noticed the slight difference in color between the top and bottom bars - not so much yellow but a lighter gray on the bottom.

I also tested my Dell laptop for work - and low and behold the same issue occurs.

I am wondering if this is more a symptom of the test and will appear on most if not all LCD screens and not an actual defect with the iMac.

If you have been following the thread closely,you'll see that only the new iMacs exhibit this issue. Apple's notebooks are all free of this issue (at least of all the ones we have tested at apple stores). Cinema displays, previous generation iMacs do not have this problem (perhaps other display problems but not this exact issue).

Anyway if you are interested in the source code for the test, you can view it in Safari. The grey bars are of the same color. Make sure you follow the directions (resize your screen accordingly to see the colors shift in color).

Here's the html:

<html>
<head>
<title>iMac 27", 21.5" Yellow Tinge Test</title>
</head>
<body bgcolor="#ffffff">

<table width="100%" height="100%">
<tr>
<td style="height: 25px;"> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="height: 200px; background: #dddddd;"> </td>
<td style="height: 200px; background: #bcbcbc;"> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="height:100%;"> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="height: 200px; background: #dddddd;"> </td>
<td style="height: 200px; background: #bcbcbc;"> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="height: 25px;"> </td>
</tr>
</table>

</body>
</html>

I don't personally believe this issue is exclusive to Apple, it is just common among the new iMacs. I have no less than 6 Apple and non Apple (1 Dell, 1 Samsung) displays in my home, and every single one of them passes the same test (uniform color). Every single one of these screens are superior to the new (affected) iMac's in terms of color consistency.

 

[SilenceBe]

One of the features of a LED LCD display is also the color consistency from every angle (as also stated on Apple's iMac pages)

So if you compare, be sure you make the comparison with a LED LCD display... . I've seen people make the comparison with cheap TN-panels... .

 

[kfscoll]

this is my screen i think i have the yellow tinge tay

You sure got it...but maybe if you stand on your head, tilt the screen, and hold your breath for 10 minutes, it'll go away.

 

[OasisNYK]

If you have been following the thread closely,you'll see that only the new iMacs exhibit this issue. Apple's notebooks are all free of this issue (at least of all the ones we have tested at apple stores). Cinema displays, previous generation iMacs do not have this problem (perhaps other display problems but not this exact issue).

Anyway if you are interested in the source code for the test, you can view it in Safari. The grey bars are of the same color. Make sure you follow the directions (resize your screen accordingly to see the colors shift in color).

Here's the html:


I don't personally believe this issue is exclusive to Apple, it is just common among the new iMacs. I have no less than 6 Apple and non Apple (1 Dell, 1 Samsung) displays in my home, and every single one of them passes the same test (uniform color). Every single one of these screens are superior to the new (affected) iMac's in terms of color consistency.

You should put a youtube video up of the test - I may not have done it 100% correctly but I get the idea. I do think this is a problem with more than just the apple screens but it appears they have not had it in the past. I have noticed a lot of complaints about the screen colors on iphone's so apple is no stranger to issues with tint - granted I think this is a little different.

 

[Lucagfc]

Hi

I've a 49 week with yellow tinge issue...at the moment also the latest machine have the same problem? Apple Has not yet solved the problems? I want to have a replacement unit but I want to order it when the problem is fixed (I have time until January 8)

Thanks

 

[TennisandMusic]

I was just told by the Apple store that the Jan 7th return date is for unopened items only, and that if opened it is still a 14 day return period. So now I have to decide real quick if I should be exchanging my machine...

 

[Lucagfc]

I was just told by the Apple store that the Jan 7th return date is for unopened items only, and that if opened it is still a 14 day return period. So now I have to decide real quick if I should be exchanging my machine...

This is really bad news! so i recieved my iMac on December 10 so I've time onli until 24 ?

 

[TennisandMusic]

This is really bad news! so i recieved my iMac on December 10 so I've time onli until 24 ?

I don't really know. I'm sick of the conflicting information, and I wish Apple would put out some official info.

This same guy told me they did not carry i5's in store, and I had to tell him to check again as I had just bought one last week. I need an OSX desktop but I'm not sure how to secure a decent iMac here...

 

[sfmountainbiker]

I don't really know. I'm sick of the conflicting information, and I wish Apple would put out some official info.

This same guy told me they did not carry i5's in store, and I had to tell him to check again as I had just bought one last week. I need an OSX desktop but I'm not sure how to secure a decent iMac here...

I don't trust this guy. I was talking to Apple Care about my current replacement i5 with dead pixels and he called the store to confirm the jan. 7 date. He obviously knew I had opened the box since I was staring at two dead pixels. I will raise hell if I was misinformed.

 

[thestumper]

Final Update

Spoke with Apple today about the poor quality of the replacement panel. This time they seemed almost irritated that I was calling. I explained that the repair was worse than the original, and they were unwilling to offer any additional options beyond another questionable repair, or springing for $200 (mine was a refurb) for a new machine with no guarantee that the problem would be rectified. I need a computer now, and I need it to be right, so I told them I would take the refund and get back to Apple at some point in the future. In the meantime, I will be building a PC. The upside is that it will trounce anything in Apple's product line for a lot less money. The downside is that it will run... <gulp>... Windows. Sigh...

I suppose there's always Linux.

At least Windows 7 is getting pretty close. It's not OS X yet, but hopefully it will be enough to keep me productive over the next year or so. If I actually find myself liking it... well... screw Apple

For all those considering a refurb, be careful. it limits your options. Even if Apple does fix the problem on the new models, you won't get one unless you cough up the extra cash. I suppose the old panels will eventually work their way out of the supply chain and a repair will actually be effective. For now, stick with a PC or buy new (at least if you're in the iMac price range). Apple WILL eventually resolve this; it's just poor timing for me.

Best of luck to all!

 

[BigBagaroo]

My week 50 box arrived, and it has a yellow tint on the bottom half of the screen, increasing in strength towards the bottom. I lined up the 27" iMac, an ACD 23" and a MBP to have some references and I only get the tint on the 27".

I did originally arrange a return for another issue this week, but I'm thinking about calling Apple tomorrow and try to get a delay on the replacement, as they will hopefully fix this later. I'd rather be stuck with this one for a month than juggling iMacs in and out the door the next few weeks.

 

[knewsom]

Spoke with Apple today about the poor quality of the replacement panel. This time they seemed almost irritated that I was calling. I explained that the repair was worse than the original, and they were unwilling to offer any additional options beyond another questionable repair, or springing for $200 (mine was a refurb) for a new machine with no guarantee that the problem would be rectified. I need a computer now, and I need it to be right, so I told them I would take the refund and get back to Apple at some point in the future. In the meantime, I will be building a PC. The upside is that it will trounce anything in Apple's product line for a lot less money. The downside is that it will run... <gulp>... Windows. Sigh...

I suppose there's always Linux.

At least Windows 7 is getting pretty close. It's not OS X yet, but hopefully it will be enough to keep me productive over the next year or so. If I actually find myself liking it... well... screw Apple

For all those considering a refurb, be careful. it limits your options. Even if Apple does fix the problem on the new models, you won't get one unless you cough up the extra cash. I suppose the old panels will eventually work their way out of the supply chain and a repair will actually be effective. For now, stick with a PC or buy new (at least if you're in the iMac price range). Apple WILL eventually resolve this; it's just poor timing for me.

Best of luck to all!

Good luck, hopefully you won't need to edit a movie or anything...

 

[whatnotwhatnot]

My frustration

I don’t even know where to begin. . . .

I purchased a 21.5 inch iMac. It had a stuck pixel right out of the box. I took it back to the Apple store. My next iMac had no stuck pixels, but had an optical drive fan rattle. I took it back to the Apple store. My third iMac had a stuck pixel. I took it back to the Apple store. The genius bar opened my fourth iMac at the store to make sure it was fine. It had no stuck pixels and the fans were not rattling. I took it home . . . . Then I noticed that the screen was not uniform. It had a noticeable yellow tinge on the bottom third of the screen (It also had the skull-piercing screen whistle when dimming the screen below the brightest setting—I took it to the Apple store and the genius could not hear it). I took it to the Apple store and they asked me what was wrong with this machine and how many this was for me. I showed them the yellow tinge. The genius ordered a new LCD display kit and I left my 6 day old machine there to have the display replaced.

I went to the Apple store tonight to pick up my “fixed” machine. I asked if it would be o.k. to power it up before I brought it home—I am getting smarter as I go along. I could see that the “fix” did not do anything to permanently resolve the issue. Instead, the new display has a yellow tinge right in the middle of the screen. I showed them the yellow tinge test screen from this forum. I minimized the window so that it took up the top left quarter of the screen. As I dragged the window down and to the right, the gray boxes got noticeably yellower (warmer). The genius (who exchanged my first iMac and could not hear the whistle on my fourth iMac) could not see it. He asked a second genius to watch as I dragged the window across the screen. He said he noticed it. A third genius came and talked the second genius out of being able to see the difference by saying, “You can see anything you want to see.” I thought to myself, “You can just as easily choose not to see anything you don’t want to see.”

It was almost the most noticeable when minimized to quarter screen size and parked right in the middle of the screen. I could see the change from left to right. On the left it was cool and bright. On the left, it was warm and dingy. Yet, he could not see it. Why am I the only one in the Apple store with super human eyes and super human ears? It is so frustrating!

So, the first genius asked me to wait about twenty minutes as LCD screens take some time before all the juices are flowing. I waited and nothing changed. He tried really hard to talk me into keeping the machine. In addition to the yellow tinge in the middle of the screen, there were small fibers and dust particles trapped underneath from where they opened the machine up to replace the display. I told him that I would prefer having my money returned to me on an Apple gift card and that I would try again in a few months after Apple got their hardware issues figured out.

I love Apple. I have owned several Macs and iPods. This experience has not pushed me over to a PC, so don’t worry. Apple products are far superior than others—I am just appalled at my experience with this new machine. When I watched the 10-minute promo video I was so excited—a super quiet machine with a “beautiful” display that is supposed to look uniform regardless of the angle. My iMac’s screen did not even look uniform from the same angle.

Every time I went back to the store I would get the “What is wrong with your brand new computer this time?” look. Again, the genius tried so hard to convince me to take this machine home without actually saying so. I know if I walked back into that Apple store they would spit in my face! So, when I decide to try again, I will have to drive to another Apple store. I’m sorry, but I am not the one allowing stuck pixels, rattling fans and yellowy screens off the assembly line. I’m just the guy that is not going to pay for such.

I don’t know how long I should wait before I try again. It almost became comical to turn on each new iMac. I misspeak, in fact, I experienced something one should never experience when turning on an Apple product—fear! I just knew something was going to be wrong. In Apple’s defense (their only), I was given about $95.00 in cash after I brought back my third iMac for my troubles. But, I would gladly give it back for a working machine.

I am not sure how long I will wait, but the next time around I am at least going to get the 1TB 21.5 inch iMac with the upgraded graphics processor—maybe even the base 27 inch model. Perhaps by then I will consign myself to the fact that no machine is going to be perfect. I just want one that only makes noises that it is supposed to make and only displays colors it is supposed to display. Is that asking too much? I am not looking for perfection. I just want to see and hear what I am supposed to see and hear.

All of you out there that do not have the yellow tinge, I envy you. You have seen something I never have (my first three machines had such obvious problems I did not even have time to notice the yellow tinge)—an iMac screen that looks as it was designed to look.

How long should I wait? Are the newer build weeks putting out better computers? My 4th was a week 43.

 

[tapplox]

I can say I never had a screen that evenly backlit.

Hi SuAlfons,

The iMac displays actually are very evenly backlit. If you take a photo with the yellow tinge and then desaturate (take out the colors), you will see that the entire screen lighting is uniform. The issue here is color inconsistency.

Of course, some are more severed than others with the affected issue. Some people say it gets worst during different times of the day, some say it gets worst after a week, some say it develops strange yellow patterns over the affected area (like honeycombs). Do keep us posted on yours.

Also, if you tilt your screen upwards, the top of the screen will shift to Purple while the bottom will shift to white. So try not to tilt the screen. If you follow this thread closely, there are very few people who have replaced and gotten a perfect display.

I lined up the 27" iMac, an ACD 23" and a MBP to have some references and I only get the tint on the 27"

.

You aren't alone on that. Thanks for pointing this out.

BTW, I found a very easy way to demonstrate the problem, which I found more obvious than the "grey background test": open a finder (or any) window, place it at the top of the screen and observe the colour of the title bar (bright, "slivery-grey") or the search box (clean, bright white), then move the window down to the affected area...The title bar now looks "gold-grey", and the search box looks a dirty, yellowy-white.

This is a good way to demonstrate the issue to the Geniuses.